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Seef Terraces has won regional acclaim for Bahrain at the Africa and Arabia edition of International Property Awards during a ceremony at the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai, UAE, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

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ABB, a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, industrial automation and power grids, said it has sealed a strategic partnership with Aibel, a Norwegian engineering group playing a key role in the oil, gas and renewable energy sector, to deliver state-of-the-art offshore wind integration solutions across the globe.

As per the deal, ABB will focus on its proven high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, while Aibel will take turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) responsibility for the design, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore platforms, said the company in a statement.

The partnership will combine the core competencies of the two companies to deliver best-in-class solutions. The partners will collaborate on the design, engineering and optimization of offshore wind connections, it added.

On the partnership, ABB chief executive Ulrich Spiesshofer, said: "We are proud to partner with Aibel to tap the vast opportunities of the ongoing Energy Revolution and related offshore wind infrastructure investments. Together, we intend to grow our businesses by complementing each other’s strengths in unique customer services for offshore wind projects."

“Strategic partnerships like this are a core pillar of our Next Level strategy and help us to drive growth while mitigating risk,” he noted.

According to Spiesshofer, the integration of power generated by offshore wind farms into national electrical grids requires complex engineering.

"A key part is the conversion of power from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) for low-loss transmission, often over long distances, to connect remote offshore wind farms to the mainland grid," he explained.

This DC power is subsequently converted back to AC once on land and then distributed for consumption. The HVDC system incorporates sophisticated technology to ensure the optimum integration of intermittent renewables and control of power flows. The offshore part of the HVDC system is housed on a specially designed platform, he added.

Jan Skogseth, the president and chief executive of Aibel, said: "We are very pleased to sign this co-operation agreement with ABB. Both ABB and Aibel have a proven track record of providing leading-edge solutions in their respective areas of expertise."

"We have successfully worked together before and I am convinced that with our combined strengths we will be a leading force to reckon with," he noted.

HVDC remains the technology of choice for transmitting large amounts of power, over long distances, efficiently and reliably and is ideal for the integration of remote renewable energy sources like offshore wind, he added.

ABB said it has pioneered the technology more than 60 years ago and further developed the technology in the 1990s by introducing a voltage sourced converter (VSC) solution named HVDC Light.

It is a market leader in HVDC, with an installed capacity of more than 120,000 megawatts – around half the global installed base. This includes 18 of the 24 VSC HVDC projects commissioned worldwide.

Claudio Facchin, the president of Power Grids at ABB, said: "Offshore wind power transmission projects are inherently complex in nature, deploying cutting-edge technologies, and ABB has gained significant experience in this area."

"This partnership with Aibel will help us to leverage the specialized competencies of both companies and enhance our overall value proposition for customers,” stated Facchin.

“It reinforces our Next Level strategy to focus on our core technology strengths like HVDC and build new business models, as we pursue profitable growth opportunities,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is poised for solid growth in the Middle East's construction market as more and more building operators turn to the sector for developing more efficient and safer buildings at a lower cost, according to Honeywell, a global leader in building automation software and smart building technologies.

Building operators are under increased pressure to make their facilities safer, more comfortable and more efficient, all while reducing operating costs, said the industry expert.

In order to achieve this, building operators in the Middle East and around the world are turning to the IoT to help deliver these results, it stated.

In the UAE alone, the total IoT market spend will almost double by 2019 to $762 million, up from $343 million in 2015, according to global market intelligence firm IDC.

With the shift to software-based solutions hosted in the cloud, there is a wealth of new opportunities to improve building efficiencies as well as the experience of building users.

"Integrating building systems and connecting them with the people that use them creates data. What’s exciting is that data allows us to understand what’s happening right now, rather than when it’s too late and the building is experiencing downtime – a preventable scenario," explained Himanshu Khurana, the global director of innovation at Honeywell Building Solutions.

He was speaking during the Honeywell’s latest industry roadshow held in the UAE this week. The company will be hosting similar events in Turkey and Russia as well.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact the digital revolution is having in order to make buildings greener, safer and more productive, and to deliver lower operating costs, happier occupants and smarter buildings,” stated Khurana.

The Honeywell ‘smart building’ roadshows come close on the heels of the release of an update to Honeywell’s leading building management system, Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI), to support the region’s smart building and smart cities ambitions.

EBI R500 leverages the connectivity of today’s buildings to help make them more strategic assets that are green, safe and productive. The new features help facility managers better streamline management and decision-making, promoting improved business efficiencies and providing greater control over operations.

EBI R500 improves the region’s facility managers’ ability to turn building data into actionable insights to deliver real outcomes in real time, said the industry expert.

EBI also features a new mobile application that provides facility managers with greater situational awareness of building performance and operations, by informing them of equipment issues before system failures or disruptions to the organisation’s operation occur. The mobile app also allows for remote access and management of building systems and data, it added.

At the UAE roadshow, Khurana discussed the company’s answer to market changes, and how technology was driving innovation and shaping business outcomes.

He was joined by Paul Black, IDC research director, who spoke about how IoT will change the real estate sector in the Middle East.

"IoT is rapidly changing the way in which Middle Eastern businesses operate and the benefits to be reaped are monumental. IoT has the power to significantly alter the real estate market in the Middle East," remarked Black.

"Those that grasp it and make use of the connectivity and the valuable data it provides will ultimately improve business efficiency, allow for greater control, enable faster decision making as well as ensuring better connected building occupants," he added.

Pete Costa, vice president for Honeywell Building Solutions, High Growth Regions, also spoke on the role of integrated technology in smart cities. Honeywell’s leading technology offer was also demonstrated at the event.-TradeArabia News Service
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French utility company Engie said it has won a major contract from Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) to build a 1,504 megawatt (MW) power plant at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion in the kingdom.

The contract for the Fadhili power plant was awarded by SEC in partnership with national oil giant Saudi Aramco, according to a Reuters report.

Scheduled to be operational by the end of 2019, the Fadhili power plant will be owned 30 per cent by SEC, 30 per cent by Aramco and 40 per cent by private sector partners, it stated.

The plant is part of the Fadhili gas project which is set to become a key component of the kingdom’s master gas system, processing gas from both onshore and offshore fields.

Together with Wasit and Midyan, Saudi Aramco’s two other new major gas projects, Fadhili will add more than 5 billion standard cu ft per day (SCFD) of non-associated gas processing capacity.

The increase in the supply of natural gas will grow above 17 billion SCFD by 2020, enabling opportunities in Saudi industries such as steel, aluminium, and downstream value-added industries.

The project will be developed at a total cost of more than SR50 billion ($13.3 billion) with emphasis placed on in-kingdom expenditures, benefiting localisation initiatives that will reach 40 per cent of the total cost.-TradeArabia News Service
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BASF, a leading supplier of chemicals to the construction industry, introduced its new range of water treatment chemicals at the ongoing Water, Energy Technology and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) in Dubai, UAE.

In line with the Wetex 2016 theme “At the Forefront of Sustainability”, BASF is showcasing its well established range of customer-centric and environmentally-beneficial solutions for the water industry to enhance the dewatering performance of waste water treatment plants, maintain the high level of productivity of desalination plants and protect these high-investment facilities from scale formation and fouling, said a statement from the German company.

BASF has been continuously investing in new solutions for water treatment chemistry and the product range being displayed at the expo is a highlight of its latest innovations, it stated.

The key products being showcased at the Dubai expo include:
* Sokalan AF-X – New water soluble and readily biodegradable antifoam for thermal desalination processes providing excellent foam control properties at low dosage rates.
* Sokalan RO 3500 – New multifunctional antiscalant for reverse osmosis membrane treatment with proven performance on various scales, different feed water compositions and especially designed for water re-use applications. Compared to phosphonate-based antiscalants Sokalan RO 3500 does not causie eutrophication to water bodies.
* Zetag Ultra – Latest product line of cationic ultra-high molecular weight powder flocculants for superior sludge dewatering performance at lower dosage rates.
* inge – Highly-efficient ultrafiltration (UF) technology with resilient Multibore membranes and space-saving T-Rack solutions for a wide range of applications in any kind of water – now also available for horizontal UF membrane replacement projects.

On its novel products, Marcus Fuest, the global marketing water chemicals, said: "BASF is committed to providing sustainable and high-performing products to address the world’s rising water demand. Secure water supply is one of the biggest challenges especially for the arid region of the Middle East."

"Our portfolio of differentiating water treatment chemicals, investments in product innovations and the collective expertise of our globally operating team are helping our customers meet their needs of reliable and cost-efficient water treatment," stated Fuest.

"Wetex continues to be a great platform to strengthen the close collaboration with our customers and to expand the responsible partnering for a sustainable future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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UAE-based Ducab, a leading manufacturer of cables and cabling products, is showcasing its sustainability initiatives and state of art industry-specific cabling at the ongoing Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) 2016, in Dubai, UAE.

Ducab is a strategic sponsor of the event, which kicked off yesterday (October 4) and will conclude tomorrow on October 6, at the Dubai International Convention Centre.

In alignment to the UAE vision 2021 of ensuring sustainable development while preserving the environment and under the umbrella of the ‘Green Week’, Ducab will demonstrate its implementation and support of green and sustainable development in the manufacturing of specialised cable products and accessories which meet the highest industry standards, said a statement from the company.

Visitors to the conference will be able to witness this focus across Ducab’s processes of raw-materials, manufacturing, packaging, product longevity and end-of-life treatment, it said.

“We are proud to partner with this international event as a strategic sponsor and showcase our premium UAE-manufactured products and sustainable practices for the manufacturing sector, and beyond,” he added.

The cable manufacturer’s participation follows the recent announcement of its nuclear power-qualified cable range, NuBICC being selected by the Korean Hydro-Nuclear Power Company (KHNP) for the Shin Hanul 1 & 2 Nuclear power plant under construction currently.– TradeArabia News Service
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Jindal Shadeed Iron & Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Jindal group, plans to set up a major iron ore pelletising plant in Oman, which will be primarily dependent on the availability of competitively priced natural gas, said a report.

The company's proposed pelletising plant is among a trio of planned ventures lined up for implementation in the next phase of Jindal Shadeed’s expansion, stated the Oman Daily Observer report, citing a senior official.

The availability of natural gas at subsidised rates is a great challenge and can adversely affect the company’s future investment plans, warned the company’s chief financial officer Rama Subramanian Chidambaram.

The company also plans to set up a pellet plant to produce pellets as feed material for the company’s direct reduction iron (DRI) plant at Sohar, and a lime and dolomite calcination unit to produce calcined lime and dolomite for captive use in its Steel Melt Shop (SMS).
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